Rental Scams in Lubbock

Where to Report Rental Fraud in Lubbock

If you have lost money or been targeted by a fake listing in Lubbock, file a report with the Lubbock Police Department. Fraud is a non-violent crime, so you can use the department's non-emergency line at (806) 775-2865 or its online police reporting system rather than 911. Keep every wire receipt, listing screenshot, and message thread, because a case number is often required before a bank or payment app will consider a reversal.

For the underlying scam operation, file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, Consumer Protection Division. The OAG accepts complaints through its online Consumer Complaint Portal and runs a Consumer Protection Hotline at (800) 621-0508. Before you start, gather the business or 'landlord' name, any address they gave, and the full record of contact, so you have everything on hand when you complete the form. The OAG explicitly warns about fake listings that pressure you to send a deposit before you have seen the property in person.

Money sent across state or national lines by wire or app can also be reported to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov, and to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. These federal reports do not recover funds directly but feed the databases investigators use to link repeat offenders operating across multiple cities.

Verify the Owner Before You Pay a Cent

You can independently confirm who owns a Lubbock property through the Lubbock Central Appraisal District at lubbockcad.org. Search by street address or owner name to see the recorded owner of record and the property's assessed value. If the name on the deposit request, lease, or bank transfer does not match the owner listed by the appraisal district, treat that as a serious red flag and do not send money until the discrepancy is explained. The LCAD office is at 2109 Avenue Q and can be reached at (806) 762-5000.

A price far below the local market is another warning sign worth checking against the appraisal record and comparable listings. For context, typical Lubbock rents run roughly 650 dollars for a studio, 800 for a one-bedroom, 1,000 for a two-bedroom, and 1,250 for a three-bedroom, though current market figures vary by source and neighborhood. A furnished 'owner overseas' unit advertised at half these figures with a demand to wire a deposit sight-unseen is the classic fake-listing setup the Attorney General cautions against.

Texas Deposit and Application-Fee Rules That Protect You

Texas draws a firm line between two upfront charges under Property Code Chapter 92. An application fee is a nonrefundable charge to cover screening costs, while an application deposit is refundable if you are rejected. Under Section 92.3515, if a landlord does not make the tenant-selection criteria available to you in writing and then rejects you, they must return both the application fee and any application deposit. Under Section 92.354, a landlord who in bad faith fails to refund an application fee or deposit is liable for 100 dollars, three times the amount wrongfully retained, plus your reasonable attorney's fees.

On your security deposit, Section 92.103 requires the landlord to refund it, or provide a written itemized list of any deductions, within 30 days after you surrender the unit and give a written forwarding address. Deductions cannot cover normal wear and tear. If a landlord acts in bad faith, Section 92.109 allows you to recover 100 dollars plus three times the wrongfully withheld amount plus attorney's fees. Note that Texas does not cap security-deposit amounts by statute, so a legitimate landlord may still ask for more than one month's rent.